The present invention relates, in general, to fishing equipment, and more particularly to a novel rattling capsule for attachment to the exterior of a fishing lure for noise-making to attract fish by mimicking their prey.
Heretofore various rattling lure concepts have been known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,115 to Auten et al discloses a glass capsule containing several metal balls; the capsule being buried within a plastic worm to create a noise-making lure from a silent lure. U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,660 to Plew shows a metal ball sealed within two metal cups to form a noise-making device for molding within a soft plastic lure, such as a worm, for attaching to the hook itself before being molded within a lead weight, or for attaching to a wire harness for selective placement on a fish line.
Another type of noise-making worm lure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,307 to Pittman. Pittman teaches lure-exterior rattles tied to the lure tail and formed as an open sphere with a clacker or an enclosed bell form containing several hard balls for noise-making.
A rattle for use on a spinner-type lure is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,353 to McClellan. The McClellan rattle consists of hexagonal slugs or beads contained in a bullet or torus shaped capsule having a central tube for carriage on the spinner wire or attached line.
Other jig-type lures exist in which the rattle is entirely surrounded by the body of the lure itself. These include lures shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,326 to Hoover et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,228 to Giovengo and U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,750 to Gammill. The Hoover et al rattle is merely a cavity molded within the lead weight of the jig. The cavity contains one metal ball and is sealed by a cap retained on a shelf formed at the edge of the cavity. The Giovengo lure contains a capsule with ridged sides containing multiple steel balls, the entire rattle being covered by a rubber sock. Gammill teaches a lead weight having a molded cavity for containing an aluminum or steel cylinder holding metal balls, the molded cavity being plugged by a larger metal ball.
Various shortcomings exist with known noise-making fishing lures, and achieving the goal of sufficiently mimicking the sound made by fishes' prey is not a simple task. Often the manufacturing process is complicated or expensive or the noise produced is unsatisfactory. For example, the patents of Plew, Auten et al, Hoover et al, Gammill and Giovengo all illustrate noise-makers which are formed within the lure itself or surrounded by some material so that the rattle is muffled, producing unsatisfactory mimicking. By contrast, Pittman shows a rattle which is exterior of the lure, but requires relatively complex attachment and is subject to snagging and breakage. Likewise, the Plew rattle may be attached exterior to the lure body, but so doing requires that the hook be formed in an abnormal, off-set position or that the rattle be attached to a harness for tying to the fish line; both arrangements are somewhat bulky and subject the lure to a high risk of snagging. Other rattles, such as those illustrated in McClellan, and previously discussed, are very complex in their designs, complicating and increasing the cost of manufacture.
Accordingly, it is among the objects of this invention to provide a rattle for use with fishing lures that relatively realistically imitates the noise produced by certain fish prey, such as crayfish, and that the noise be loud enough for the target fish to hear. The subject lure should be relatively simple and inexpensive to produce and easy to use as well as being water-tight and stream-lined to avoid snagging on underwater plants and other objects. The rattling lure of the present invention should further be formed so as to be easily decorated, at the manufacturer or user's option.
In furtherance of these objects, the invention is briefly, a fishing lure having a weight, a hook having a shank extending from the weight and a rattling device for attracting fish. The rattling device comprises an elongated capsule of synthetic resin material having at least one noise-maker therewithin. A capsule closure means maintains the noisemaker within the capsule and longitudinally secures the capsule to the lure. The outer surfaces of the capsule are exposed to water when the lure is immersed in water for transmitting noise from the noise-maker to the water for attracting fish.